"I do this kind of stuff to him all through the picture."
"Wabbit Twouble" is a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Bob Clampett and starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. It was the first of four shorts in which Elmer Fudd is drawn significantly fatter (five, if you count Any Bonds Today?), the first cartoon directed by Clampett after he inherited Tex Avery's unit, and Clampett's first color cartoon.
The cartoon is centered on Elmer Fudd, who goes to Jellostone National Park to camp out and relax. Unfortunately for him, he sets up camp by the residence of (pre-character-development) Bugs Bunny, who is annoyed by Elmer's presence and decides to screw around with him for the heck of it.
It gained some fresh popularity in the 21st century as the source of the "Big Chungus" meme.
"Wabbit Twouble" provides examples of:
- Ascended Meme: The official Looney Tunes YouTube account changed the thumbnail for this short to reference the Big Chungus meme, even forming a poll asking viewers if they came to the video for that scene. Big Chungus would later become part of Looney Tunes lore by joining Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem. In Space Jam: A New Legacy, Bugs becomes Big Chungus once again when saying "I'm hunting wabbits!"
- Artistic License – Biology: Granted, it is a cartoon, and Elmer only gets the term "grizzly bear" from a book, but the bear seen here is definitely a black bear, due to his color, head shape, and size (not being much larger than Elmer himself).
- Author Catchphrase: Of a creator who isn't even credited on the film: At one point Bugs turns to the audience and says "I do this kind of stuff to him all through the picture," a line Tex Avery used in many of his cartoons. Avery is thought to have developed the story (see the trivia page for more details), though he left before it went into production and Clampett took over.
- Bears Are Bad News: Elmer unwittingly provokes the wrath of a bear that comes across him, and the subsequent chase makes him decide to leave the park.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: When Bugs is tricking Elmer into walking off a cliff, he mugs to the audience "I do this kind of stuff to him all throughout the picture." Later, when he's pretending to be the bear while Elmer is playing dead, he stops to tell the audience "Funny situation, ain't it?"
- Credits Gag: The opening credits are done in Elmer Fudd's style of speech (e.g. Robert Clampett is Wobert Cwampett).
- Downer Ending: Played for Laughs. Elmer Fudd gets thrown in jail for vandalizing park property (namely, the sign leading into the park)—but for better or worse, Bugs and the bear somehow wound up in jail with him.Bugs: Pardon me, but how long ya in for, doc?
Bear: Yeah, uh, pardon me, but how long ya in for, doc? - Early-Installment Weirdness: In addition to Elmer being significantly fatter, he also has his red nose from A Wild Hare, a feature dropped in the other "Fat Elmer" shorts.
- Elmer Fudd Syndrome: Used in the title and the opening credits for a gag.
- Enmity with an Object: Elmer gets so fed up with Bugs and the Bear, that he furiously starts chopping down the sign promising “a restful retreat”, dismissing it as "bawoney", only to be arrested by a park ranger for willful destruction of government property.
- Gravity Is a Harsh Mistress: While Elmer is blinded by soap and reaching for the towel, Bugs tricks him into walking over a canyon. He wipes off the soap and admires the "quaint view" before he realizes he's in mid-air - and he can even run back to the edge of the canyon before he actually falls.
- Impact Silhouette: Once Elmer sees Bugs pretending to be a bear and "attacking" him, he tries to whack him over the head with his rifle. However, the black bear shows up at that moment and Bugs escapes just in time for Elmer to strike the bear instead, causing the rifle to get bent in the shape of the bear's head. He even examines the rifle, places it on the bear's head again and drops it before running like hell.
- Ink-Suit Actor: As with the other "Fat Elmer" shorts, the heavier Elmer Fudd design was meant to resemble his voice actor, Arthur Q. Bryan.
- In-Scene Title Text: The title and credits are written on the landscape.
- Mickey Mousing: Elmer's car chugs and stops in tune to the rhumba beat in the opening.
- Motion Blur: Used when Elmer and the bear are speeding between a bunch of trees.
- Narrative Shapeshifting: When Bugs parrots Elmer's "That'll hold him alright, heheheheheheh.", he becomes as fat as Elmer is.
- Playing Possum: Bugs gives Elmer the classic advice of playing dead when faced with a bear.
- The Prankster: Since Elmer does not hunt Bugs in this short, Bugs simply messes with him without any provocation. Hell, after tricking Elmer into walking above the Grand Canyon and almost falling in, he flat out confesses that he is responsible for the jokes pulled on him.Bugs: I do dis kinda stuff to him all tru da picture.
- Punny Name: Jellostone National Park, an obvious play on Jell-Onote and the real life Yellowstone National Park.
- Super-Strength: When hastily packing up his belongings to leave, Elmer accidentally uproots a giant tree—he hastily puts it back, though.
- Temporary Bulk Change: After Elmer attempts to board up Bugs's hole, Bugs walks out and briefly becomes as fat as him while mocking how naïve he is.Bugs: Dat'll hold 'im alwight, heheheheheheh. (returns to normal) Phooey.
- Tempting Fate: Elmer Fudd at the end, when he decides to get some well-needed rest and relaxation without Bugs now that he's behind bars, only to discover that both Bugs and, for some reason, the bear have become his cellmates.
- Troll: Elmer just wants to have a relaxing weekend; Bugs starts playing pranks on him for no apparent reason beyond his own amusement.
- Rage Breaking Point: Elmer, fed up with Bugs' antics, furiously starts chopping the sign leading to the park with an ax and then steps on it. This unfortunately lands him in jail.
- Villain Protagonist: Bugs, who screws with Elmer for his own sick amusement. He even lampshades this to the audience:Bugs: I do dis kinda stuff to him all tru da picture.
